Sultan criticises group of "rude, ill-mannered" Malays

The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, today expressed disappointment over the action of a certain group of Malays which continued to question the positions of Malays and the Malay Rulers when these were enshrined in the constitution.

The sultan described this group of Malays as rude, ill-mannered and unabashed, given that they had been nurtured from the time of their ancestors in the customs and traditions, good behaviour, courteousness, and engaging in consultation.

"It is on this premise that the Malays are held in high esteem and respected, (but) where are the Malays now?

"The nation has been a sovereign state for just half a century, and the Malays have begun to quarrel, lose their self-esteem and become discourteous due to being overly enthusiastic in grabbing power at the expense of the people and the state," he said when opening the Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz near here.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was present at the ceremony.

Sultan Sharafuddin also expressed concern over the Malays in Selangor who he said had become disunited due to their subscribing to different political ideologies.

He said though the Malay race would not be eliminated from the earth, it would be pointless for the Malays to be uncivilised, unrespected and easily manipulated.

"I have repeatedly urged the Malays in Selangor to have respect for one another, understand one another's positions and, most importantly, have trust for one another.

"If Malays always harbour distrust for one another, this will create suspicion, doubt and envy and give rise to negative thoughts and actions among the people," he said.

Sultan Sharafuddin urged the people of Selangor to be calm and reflect deeply on what had happened and ask themselves whether they wanted to continue having the current peace and prosperity or to quarrel amongst themselves to the point of destroying their state. --Bernama

The sultan urged the Malays to be united when issues involving the interests of Malays and Islam cropped up.

Referring to the management of mosques, Sultan Sharafuddin said the management should be concerned and sensitive about elements which should not be raised in the serene atmosphere of mosques.

Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz, located at Jalan Templer, was a two-storey wooden surau in 1956. Eight years later, it was rebuilt as a concrete mosque in the shape of a partially closed umbrella. Due to a growing congregation, the mosque was renovated in the 1980's, and in 2005 the federal and state government approved RM15 million to reconstruct the mosque. The mosque building now has a floor area of 7,374 sq metres, with a prayer hall capable of accommodating 4,000 people.